By Beth Treffeisen Holding up many of the buildings that are found in neighborhoods like the Back Bay and flat of Beacon Hill are underground wood pilings that provide the support needed to keep them from sinking into the marshlands that once surrounded Boston. But, with a drought in effect, the water table that...

By Seth Daniel The National Park Service (NPS) is about to turn 100 years old this summer, and the Boston Parks are planning a major celebration on Aug. 25- 27 in and around the three major Boston parks – including a huge celebration on Aug. 25 in Christopher Columbus Park. The Boston National Historic...

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and the Longfellow Bridge Rehabilitation Project design/build contractor, White-Skanska-Consigli JV (WSC), announce that all vehicle, pedestrian, bicycle, and MBTA Red Line travel near the Charles Circle staging area of the Longfellow Bridge will be halted for a brief period of time. The temporary halt is necessary to complete...

By Seth Daniel The state Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has approved the six-year extension of 14 urban renewal districts in the City of Boston – per request of the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) – and the state agency has an eye to the future of those areas. While the public debate...

By Seth Daniel Adult Education and a health conscious supermarket have shaken hands recently, and the result is a partnership that looks to endure. Last month, the Boston Center for Adult Education (BCAE) in the Back Bay partnered with area Whole Foods Supermarkets in the Ink Block and in Charlestown to bring innovative, food-oriented...

By Beth Treffeisen Underneath the battered Boston streets, miles of gas lines, some more than 100 years old, are spewing out natural gas and causing consequences that often go unnoticed. “One thing is to highlight it to make the indivisible, visible,” said Steven Hamburg, the chief scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund. With more...

By Beth Treffeisen A severe drought has taken over most of Massachusetts, including Boston, where many of the trees that line the sidewalks may need a bit more love. The city of Boston planted 1,424 new trees during the spring, leaving the younglings as the most vulnerable in the hot heat. The city takes...

In response to Boston City Council Order # 0387, an order for a hearing regarding the 2016 Presidential and State Elections procedures sponsored by Councilor Bill Linehan, the Boston Election Department approved an early voting plan. During the 2012 Presidential Election, some of the most populous precincts in the city experienced long lines and...

Beacon Hill Beat From Boston Police Area A-1 Larceny 08/05/16 – A female victim reported she was inside a Beacon Street restaurant and bar at around 11:05 p.m., when her wallet was stolen. The victim stated her purse was on the back of her chair, and a surveillance video showed an unknown female suspect...

Trees need watering Dear Editor: You may not realize it, but Boston, like many cities across the country, is in a severe drought. We have had a quarter the rain we normally have by now and are down by 12 inches of rain. During a drought it is very important to water city trees. And not just with one...

By Mayor Martin J. Walsh Last Monday and Tuesday night, I visited neighborhoods across Boston, from Hyde Park to Brighton, from Mattapan to East Boston, for “National Night Out” with members of the Boston Police Department and Commissioner William Evans. We spent time with residents of all ages in nearly every neighborhood, playing games,...

Many regions in Massachusetts are facing drought or near-drought conditions. According to federal drought authorities, about 62 percent of the state is considered to be under “severe drought” and some areas northwest of Boston are in “extreme drought.” Water restrictions are in place in just about every community in the state which is not...

By Cary Shuman Susie Kitchens is concluding her term this month as the British Consul General to Boston, bidding farewell to the city and the countless people whom she helped during her reign in the prestigious diplomatic post. Kitchens has served in the position for four years, which is the standard term for those...

By Dan Murphy The Beacon Hill Civic Association Zoning and Licensing Committee voted on Wednesday to oppose granting the variances that would allow the homeowners of 12 Byron St. to build a third-floor addition and roof deck. The applicants intend to make substantial renovations to the two-story carriage house presently used as a single-family...

By Dan Murphy In an effort to curb frequent problems with commercial vehicles double-parking and blocking vehicle and bicycle traffic, the Boston Transportation Department is s engaging in a two-week pilot for commercial parking on Cambridge Street between Charles Circle and Sudbury Street. The program, which runs from Aug. 1 to 14, standardizes the...

By Karen Cord Taylor Karen is on a break. This subject continues to be important. Recently the Boston Landmarks Commission voted to study whether this commercial artifact should be given landmark status. For some people, it’s only a sign. Others believe it gives Boston a sense of place. In any case, the results of...

By Beth Treffeisen On a warm summer night on July 28, people from around the city gathered for the second edition of the free neighborhood nights at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. “It’s a way to get people from the neighboring communities here,” said Sarah Whitling the marketing assistant at the museum. “It certainly...

As northeast and central Massachusetts continue to suffer from severe drought, environmental groups call on the Commonwealth and residents throughout Massachusetts to take steps now to conserve water and to manage our freshwater resources better. In a letter to Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Matthew Beaton, a coalition of 45 environmental organizations...

BEACON HILL BEAT From Boston Police Area A-1 Breaking and Entering – Residence 07/31/16 – A female victim reported while she was out from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., unknown person(s) broke into her Hancock Street apartment. The suspect(s) apparently climbed the fire escape, removed the screen to the open window and climbed into...

For almost all of us, the Olympics have provided memories that have lasted a lifetime. We can all measure how old we were, or where we were, when we recall Olympic moments both from our youth and through adulthood. For example, who among us (of a certain age) does not remember, as if it...

City of Boston Credit Union has stepped up as the title sponsor for this year’s Putts & Punches for Parkinson’s Golf Tournament. The tournament created and hosted by Shawn Thornton of the Florida Panthers, formerly of the Boston Bruins, was held on Monday, August 8. Now in its seventh year, proceeds are donated to...